Dogs outside on their own?

[PatsyIppolito]

I am wondering when or if ever, dogs should be allowed outside in the yard on their own?  I have neighbours with dogs who let the dogs outside whenever they want, unsupervised.  Both are puppies less than a year old.  My puppy is 9 months old.  If I let her outside unsupervised (or even supervised for that matter) she is into things - digging, eating and pulling out plants etc.  I keep wondering if I am being too controlling?  

[Adrienne]

Hi Patsy, 

It really depends on the dog and several variables such as age and breed. Some dogs who have proven themselves to not get into trouble over time can reap the benefit of spending time outdoors on their own, although like you, I am a reluctant because I tend to to be over protective and worry about mishaps.

For instance, my Rottweilers had proven themselves over and over throughout the years that they were reliable being in the yard on their own, but one day there was a rattlesnake in my yard, and another day a mad skunk. Then, for some time we had some dead mice in our yard, only to discover they were poisoned by neighbors and dogs can die from eating rats that are poisoned so I am glad I removed them before my dogs could get have ingested them! I don't think they would have ingested them, but one never knows!. On top of this, in Arizona there are risks for Valley Fever, a fungus that lives in the sand and digging can disrupt the soil and raise spores so I discouraged digging behaviors. Many scary stuff!

So it became a habit since they were young up until old age, that if they were out, either me or hubby was always out with them. This was important for me because it gave me peace of mind knowing all about them. Like I always knew how often they peed or pooped, whether they had diarrhea or blood in their urine, whether they ate grass from being nauseous and what they did when outside. If they were ever sick, I knew for a fact it wasn't from eating something outside. I learned a whole lot by watching them and therefore was able to notice right away if there was a health problem.

Going out with them also allowed me to speed up potty training, train them to go potty on command, train them to leave it and drop stuff, and prevent them from rehearsing problematic behaviors many of my neighbors, who left their dogs unattended most of the time, where instead struggling with. 

If your dog is eating and pulling out plants, I would not recommend leaving her out alone, unless you can provide a part of the yard that is sectioned off and very dog-safe (with no plants, or things she can eat like a covered outdoor kennel area protected from the sun with water bowls), but most dogs get bored quickly when alone if they don't have things to do.

 Being part Yorkshire terrier, digging may be something she loves to do, so providing her with a digging area of her own can provide an outlet for this instinct. You can bury toys under the sand and watch her have a blast:  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/digging/

She may also love the ball pit game which is inspired by a dog's digging instinct. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-ball-pit-game/

Indoor brain games that encourage scavenging activities such as the treasure hunt game may be fun too:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

 Of course, many dog owners feel perfectly fine leaving their dogs outside alone, so it boils down to personal preference. I think it's sort of like parents who feel OK keeping their kids playing in the street for hours while some others frequently peek to check what they are doing and just to ensure they're safe, but if the kids are the type up for trouble or there are certain dangers they can be exposed to, keeping an eye on them then makes more sense.

[FrederykBlot]

 

It also depends on your constraints I guess

 

When I was younger we had a house on our own, with a fully concealed yard

There was no issue letting my dog there

They dug here and there but we had no trouble with it

 

 

Now I rent, so digging is out of the picture

And although there is a fence, it's not fully concealed and there are gaps to the neighbors...

So this time, never the yard alone

 

[JMFS]

I can give you insight on leaving puppers outside.  Momo was an outside dog.  He Hated being inside, even at night for bed time.  I still brought him inside because I didn't want him disturbing the neighbors if something went bump in the night.  He Loved being outside.  Chasing squirrels, eradicating lizards from the screen room around the pool, lying under the shade tree where he could see the entire yard and out to the street.  I gave up on fresh water for him - he never drank it.  Why would he?  There's a pool with constantly recirculating water to drink from and cool his feet while he was at it.  The occasional dip when he got too hot wasn't a bad deal, either. 

He was 3-yrs old before he had that living arrangement and had grown out of the destruction phase (and had Plenty to do to keep him from being destructive).  As a puppy he was crated while I was at work; however, when I got home he was allowed outside for 20 minutes at a time.  This was a much smaller yard than what we have now.  He and the neighbor's Mastiff (I Loved her) would dig under the fence to get to each other.  He chewed the gas hoses off the grill.  He chewed the insulation off the A/C pipes.  Oddly he left our chairs alone.  They must not have been satisfying chews.

Esther is 9 months old now and nope.  Wouldn't allow her outside unsupervised for more than 5 minutes.  She's not destructive, but she puts Everything in her mouth.  E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.  I have her on a supplement which discourages her from eating the "tootsie rolls" the cat leaves in the yard (Outta my Box has been working), but she still finds the hairballs tasty (gag) and I had to remove one from her possession just yesterday by making her chase me.  She dropped it, I enticed Gertie to play with Esther and I found the nasty tid bit while she was distracted.  She's already had tapeworms from eating whatever and this is under close supervision!  I don't goof around on my phone while I'm out there, she's just too quick for me sometimes.  She's a mess and is an example of a dog who is not ready, no responsible, enough to be out on her own.

Gertrude leaves most things alone; however, if it stinks to high heaven it's going to end up on her fur because she's sliding and rolling in it and then my arthritic self is going to have to attempt to bathe her.  If a wheeled vehicle, especially bicycles, goes by our fence she's going to give chase, and do so vocally.  If someone is walking or running by our fence it will be the same result.  Therefore I limit her alone time outside to about 15 minutes.  Long enough for her to do her business, get some sniffs in, and enjoy nature.  But, because she's rude and I don't get enough opportunities to work with her on stopping it these days management is the best course with her.

Final word, if the dogs don't chew on things, eat goodness-knows-what, or bark at / chase passersby I would absolutely allow them to be outdoors unsupervised.  We have ample shade and a secure fence so I know our dogs are mostly safe; however . . . there's Always that chance someone can throw something over the fence like the bbq rib bone I found a couple months ago.  Momo was an excellent watch dog and he kept our backyard from getting wild, but I wouldn't have either of the girls out there regularly unsupervised.  Front yard yes for Gertie in short amounts of time, and an absolute no for Esther right now.